What If?
by Ivyshadow
Summary: What if Percy had decided to stay with Calypso? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

What If?

Calypso shook her head. "I told myself I would not even speak of this. I would let you go without even offering. But I can't. I suppose the Fates knew that, too. You could stay with me, Percy. I'm afraid that is the only way you could help me." Calypso looked down, waiting for my answer.

I reached my hand toward her, then pulled it back. I didn't want to cause any more pain for her. I wanted to help. Really, I did. But I also wanted to go back. Back to camp, my friends, Annabeth. Back to the war, my prophecy, the end of the world. My thoughts went in circles, debating the possibilities.

Images flashed in my mind. My first view of Half-Blood Hill. Annabeth's face when I woke up from the Minotaur attack. Grover and Tyson. Our adventures. My first view of Ogygia. Calypso's face when I woke up from the volcano blast. The gardens and songbirds. Our walks on the beach.

The seconds ticked on. Such a big choice. I had to say something. Finally, I knew what I had to do.

"I'll stay."

Calypso looked up, a smile stretching across her beautiful face. "I never thought it would happen," she murmured, then continued louder, "But, I suppose even the Fates are wrong at time." She took my hand and began to pull me up the beach.

I hesitated. "Just a minute. I need to do something first."

Calypso nodded, smiling gently. She began walking away, singing softly to herself.

I walked to the edge of the water and stared into the first light of dawn. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and summoned sea creatures to me. I felt a pull in my gut. I opened my eyes when a whinny broke through the silence. A hippocampus was splashing in the waves.

I waded a few feet into the lake. The hippocampus swam up to me. I rested my hand on its nose. "Tell them of my passing," I told the water horse. "Tell them…" I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat. "Tell them Percy Jackson is dead."

The hippocampus neighed sadly. It shook its mane, then dove into the waves, splashing me with lake water. I saw its the scales of its silvery tail glittering in the sunlight far off shore. Then it was gone.

With that last splash of the hippocampus' tail, I sealed my fate.

I turned and walked up the beach to where Calypso stood waiting. She reached for my hand, smiling gently.

"They will not suffer anymore, now that they know," she said gently.

I nodded, gazing into the rising sun. "They will not suffer anymore," I repeated.

_**x x x**_

I gazed longingly into the ocean. Waves crashed against the sand. Water washed over my bare feet. "Oh, Percy," I murmured. "Where are you?"

"Annabeth?"

I jumped at the sound of my name. Then I rolled my eyes. Could I not have a few minutes of alone time? "Coming, Malcolm, just a minute!" I shouted back.

"Okay!" My half-brother called.

I sighed and turned back to the water. I willed with all my might for Percy to appear out of the waves. I closed my eyes and sighed again.

I heard splashing just off shore. My eyes snapped open. _Percy!_ My gaze scanned the ocean.

A hippocampus neighed and waved its silvery tail at me. It tossed its head and gaze a shrill whinny.

I groaned and dropped my head into my lap. "Oh, go away," I muttered, annoyed. I lifted my head and stared at the water horse with skeptical eyes. "I don't suppose _you_ know where Percy is, do you?"

I could have sworn the water horse nodded its head. It swam closer, then stopped and neighed, tossing its head up and down.

I leapt to my feet. "Stay here!" I shouted at the hippocampus. Then, barefooted, I ran toward camp.

"Whoa!" Malcolm shouted as I nearly ran him over. "Where are you-"

"I'll explain later!" I shouted back. My breath came out in quick gasps. My feet pounded the earth faster and faster. The sword fighting arena grew gradually bigger and bigger.

Bursting through the entrance, I shouted, "Chiron!"

The campers stopped mid swing. Everyone froze and stared at me. I stood by the entrance, gasping for breath.

Slowly, Chiron turned around. "Annabeth? What is it?"

"You have to come here!" Then I began talking so fast, the only words I could even distinguish were: "Beach-hippocampus-Percy-quick!"

Chiron nodded. "Alright, Annabeth, I'll come with you."

I nodded back eagerly. Apparently he had heard and understood my frantic speech.

Chiron grabbed my arm and swung me onto his back. We galloped through camp. Half-bloods dove out of the way to avoid being trampled.

When we were almost at the beach, I jumped off Chiron's back. Sprinting to the edge of the sand, my eyes raked across the water.

The hippocampus whinnied loudly. It swam closer, waving its tail in my direction.

"There!" I shouted at Chiron, who had just arrived. I pointed frantically toward the water horse.

He waded into the water and went up to the hippocampus. It gave a low, nervous whinny. Then it flicked its head and began neighing at Chiron. It almost sounded like the water horse was… talking.

I waited impatiently, arms folded, foot tapping against the sand.

Finally, Chiron splashed back onto the sand. The hippocampus dove into the water and swam away.

My heart plummeted. The expression on Chiron's face was one of pain, suffering, and loss.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "No!" I shouted at him. I ran away, back toward camp. "No, no, no, no, NO!" I screamed as I ran. Once I was in my cabin, I flopped onto my bed, sobbing into my pillow. "Oh, Percy, why did you have to die!?" I pounded the mattress with my fist. "Why, Percy, why!?" I shrieked into my pillow. And then I cried myself to sleep.

The next morning was the funeral. I had cried myself out the night before, so I was at least somewhat composed.

Chiron began solemnly, "Percy was a great camper, one who will be missed by all. I have asked his best surviving friend to do the final honors." He motioned with his hand for me to proceed.

I stepped forward, holding Percy's burial shroud. I held the beautiful green cloth over the fire. The color matched his eyes. Then, with a deep breath, I let it go.

It was as if part of me had dropped into the flames with the cloth.

I turned to face the audience. "He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. No, not probably. Definitely. He never gave up, no matter what he was facing." I blinked and a tear trailed down my cheek. "I'm going to miss him a lot. I'm pretty sure he's in a happy place now. I know he would have done everything he could to make it back. But I guess even the strongest heroes fail sometimes. " My voice broke at the end. I took a deep shuddering breath, tears running freely down my face now. I turned to the dying remains of the fire. "Goodbye, Percy. We'll miss you." _I love you_, I added in my thoughts. With that, I turned and walked away.

Behind me, I heard Chiron and the other campers putting out the fire and leaving the amphitheater. I walked back to my cabin and collapsed into tears.

Later that night, as everyone was going back to their cabins to prepare for bed, I went back to the amphitheater. The ashes of the fire were still in the pit. I stared into the cinders, tears pooling in my eyes. Then, a flash of green caught my eyes. Bending down, I noticed a small scrap of the shroud that had not burned. On it was one of the tiny trident designs that had been the border on the shroud.

I picked the scrap up and held it against my heart. I stood like that for a few minutes, then walked down to the beach. Sitting in the sand, staring into the setting sun, I took the scrap of Percy's burial shroud and tied it onto my camp necklace. I would carry it with me always. A reminder of Percy, my best friend and love.

I don't know what would have happened between Percy and I if he was still alive. I had never gotten to tell him how I felt. But one thing was certain. For the rest of my life I would be thinking about him. He would always be my biggest _what if._

_**x x x x x x x x x x**_

**Well, what did you think? I'm working on a second chapter (and maybe a third)… Hint, hint. Subscribe maybe? Review please, check out my other stories, and stay tuned for more on this one!**

**-Ivy**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I rested my chin on my folded hands. My elbows were on the ledge of a window in the Empire State Building.

"Annabeth?"

I spun around, then winced. I had twisted by ankle in a battle yesterday, and my knee had been bashed up pretty well, too. So I was basically limping on my left leg. Not good in a battle. "Nico." I grimaced. "Is it time?"

Nico nodded. "Nearly. Come around to the lobby in a few minutes."

I nodded and Nico headed down the hall. I sighed. It seemed only days ago that someone else had almost been in this position. Percy. However, it wasn't days. It was years. Four, to be exact. After Percy died, the prophecy went to rest, waiting for the next child of the Big Three to reach sixteen. This time it was Nico's turn.

Four years ago, after Percy died, the threats of attack had subsided a bit. Kronos knew about the prophecy. Now, four years later, Nico was almost sixteen. Tomorrow, actually.

The sun was setting over the city. I could see it from my position in one of the hallways on the ground floor of the Empire State Building. Only a few hours left.

I sighed again. These past four years had seemed so short. I was nineteen now. Hard to believe, but true. Four years ago, I had been fifteen, almost sixteen. Now I was almost twenty. I was in college during the school year. During the summer, every year since Percy died, I had continued to go to Camp Half-Blood. Not so much as a camper these past two years, though. After a camper reaches eighteen, they become an official counselor. At least that was what happened to me.

Once I turned eighteen, I moved to New York, to be closer to camp. Even though I wasn't a camper anymore, I still received a bead for my camp necklace each year. I had eleven beads now. That was probably the most anyone had ever had in the history of Camp Half-Blood. But, hey, I'd been going to camp since I was seven. I hoped I would be alive to receive my twelfth bead at the end of this summer. But who knew?

Once again, I gazed out over the wreckage in the streets. Last night, us demigods had made our final stand a few blocks from the Empire State Building. Kronos' forces had retreated at dawn, but we had been basically pushed back to the doors of the Empire State Building. Throughout today, everyone had been resting and healing all over the first floor. There weren't _that_ many of us, but we wanted to stay out of the lobby, except for demigods on watch. Looking out at the city, I felt like Percy should be here, making to final stand to defend Manhattan. It was _his_ city.

I touched my necklace. My fingers brushed the piece of cloth tied to the leather cord. The once smooth, shiny silk was now rough and faded, worn by the years. This piece of cloth had been a scrap of Percy's shroud that had not burned during the ceremony. I had taken it, as a reminder of my dead best friend.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had been preparing myself for this day for years. Ever since I had known Percy was supposed to be prophecy child. Of course, I had four extra years of preparation due to Percy's death. Thinking that, I immediately felt horrible. I felt like I had benefited from his death. That thought made me sick.

Shaking my head and straightening, I tightened the straps on my breastplate and walked down the hall. Pausing for a moment, I took a deep breath before rounding the corner into the lobby.

Everyone was gathered in the lobby in a ragged semicircle. Nico was standing on the front desk in the center, by the elevator. I slipped around the edge of the crowd until I reached the front desk.

Nico nodded to me, acknowledging my presence, though not stopping his speech. "…ready for battle. You have prepared well for this day. Today we fight… for Olympus!" Nico lifted his Stygian iron sword into the air.

The demigods imitated his gesture, cheering.

Nico jumped down from the desk and faced me. "You've known this was coming for a long time."

"I read the prophecy when I was ten," I answered simply. "After I met him, I thought it would be Percy, but I guess not. Everyone trusts you, you know," I added suddenly.

Nico smiled ruefully. "There's a shock." He began walking toward the entrance of the building. I followed. Nico continued, "Who knew everyone would be following a child of Hades, huh?"

I smiled. I had watched Nico grow up from an angry, troubled young boy, to a confident, mature, almost-sixteen-year-old. "Yeah, who knew?" We reached the front door of the Empire State Building. I paused, my hand on the door. "Nico, no matter what happens, I'm really proud of you. Just remember that."

"Annabeth, you're talking like we're not going to see each other again."

I shrugged. "You never know." I had been having strange feelings lately. I didn't know what they meant, so I was just going to let fate do what it had to.

Nico pushed open the lobby door. Kronos' army had already gathered in front of the building. The monsters hissed and growled as we filed out and lined up. Once our ranks were formed, Nico held his sword in the air. "FOR OLYMPUS!"

I glanced around one last time at all my friends from camp before running into the battle. I knew this could be the last time I saw any of them. With that thought in my mind, both armies charged each other.

_**x x x**_

I paced back and forth along the beach.

"Percy, calm down!" Calypso said gently. "Why are you getting so worked up?"

"I don't know, and that's the problem! I feel like something really big happened, but I don't remember what! I feel so stupid!"

"Don't say that." Calypso took my hand, pulling me to a stop. I looked down into her gentle eyes. I rolled my eyes, but I took a deep breath.

Suddenly there was a bright flash over the lake. When the light went away, there was a man standing on the beach with us. He had a green jogging suit and winged sneakers. Hermes, God of Messengers, had come to bring us a message.

Calypso bowed her head, then walked over, dragging me by the hand. "Lord Hermes. It is a pleasure."

The god smiled at Calypso and kissed her hand. Then he frowned at me.

Being immature as always, I made a face back, saying, "What?"

"Have you looked in a mirror lately, kid?"

I opened my mouth to make some smart remark that would probably just get me blown up, but Calypso cut in. "What brings you here, my lord?"

Hermes wandered over to a picnic table, gesturing for us to follow. We did. I muttered in Calypso's ear, "You don't have to call him 'lord' all the time, you know."

"I do if I ever want to get out of here," she hissed back. Calypso smiled at Hermes, shoving me toward an open chair. She gracefully sat down while I bumped into the table, knocking a plate of hot vegetables onto Hermes' lap.

"Oops." I grinned sheepishly. I tiptoed over to my seat, keeping my eyes on Hermes the whole time so he couldn't sneak attack and get me in the back. Sitting down, I said, "So, what brings you here?"

"Bad news, I'm afraid." He glared at me while I innocently picked up a fork and twirled it around.

Calypso said, "Has something happened?"

Hermes nodded. "Yes. A few nights ago was one of the biggest battles in the history of the gods."

"Did you win?" I jumped in.

Hermes looked at me like, _How could you possibly get an more stupid?_ It annoyed me because Annabeth used to look at me like that. Only Annabeth could get away unscathed from calling me stupid. Even Calypso didn't have that power yet.

"Well, _obviously_ we won, Jackson, or I WOULDN'T BE HERE!" Hermes roared. "Would I?" he added quietly.

I shook me head quickly. I figured I should probably lay low. But, being all ADHD and stuff, that probably wouldn't work out.

Calypso said, "What happened?"

Hermes began, "Well, you know of the Great Prophecy, I'm sure? The one Jackson _abandoned_." He shot a glare at me, then continued, "Well, a few days ago a _different_ child of the Big Three turned sixteen."

"Who was it?" I blurted out, then cringed. I almost expected Hermes to blast me for interrupting.

But he just glared (again) and continued the story, "Surely you know, Jackson. Or have you been here so long you've gone _completely_ stupid?"

That really ticked me off. I jumped up, fork in hand. Not sure what I was doing, I lunged across the table. And stopped short.

Calypso yanked me back into my seat and hissed, "Do you think I _like_ being stuck here?" She gave me a look that said, _Don't do anything else ridiculous or you'll get us both killed!_

I nodded glumly and sat down with a plop.

Hermes sipped his drink innocently, then continued, "As I was saying, Nico di Angelo turned sixteen a few days ago. He led the demigod army into battle, with Annabeth as his second-in-command." Hermes shot a look at me, waiting for a reaction. But I remained perfectly calm on the outside, even if my stomach got butterflies hearing her name. "Anyway…" Hermes continued, disappointed I hadn't caused a scene. "The gods were fighting their way across the country, battling Typhon. The demigods, monsters, and Kronos were in New York, by the entrance to Mount Olympus. Anyway, we all fought, blah, blah, blah, and then we won!" Hermes leaned back in his chair. He looked like he was expecting applause from us, or something.

I asked hesitantly, "How many casualties were there?"

"Most of the demigod army was killed, and all were injured, except Nico." I opened my mouth, but Hermes cut me off, "He took on the curse of Achilles, so nothing could hurt him, except at his mortal point, obviously." Hermes had a smug look on his face, like he was glad he hadn't let me interject this time. "Anyway, I don't know everyone who survived, but Nico did, obviously, and my sons, the Stoll twins, your friend Thalia, although she lost many Hunters, is also still alive. Dionysus' son Pollux, Clarisse, Chris Rodriguez, a handful of unclaimed kids, and a few from each cabin are left."

I noticed he had not mentioned Annabeth. I knew he wanted to ask me about her. I couldn't help it; I took the bait. "What about Annabeth?"

Calypso sat up sharply in her seat. She knew about Annabeth through my sleep talking. She had questioned me once, and I said I didn't like Annabeth like that, but I think Calypso could tell I was lying. I'm sure I said some things in my sleep at least once.

Hermes smiled, satisfied his bait had worked. "Well, she was MIA until yesterday. No one could find her, even though they searched everywhere. Some thought she was taken prisoner, but all the monsters were destroyed so there was no one left to take prisoners. Other thought she had gone to Olympus, for whatever reason, but the gods searched and couldn't find her. Some demigods even thought she had gone back to camp. Anyway, no one wanted to think she was dead, obviously."

"But was she? Which theory was right?" I shouted, "Just tell us already!"

Hermes shot a death glare at me. It was enough to send me cowering in my seat. Looking satisfied with me, he said, "She's dead."

My jaw dropped. My head felt light. My vision went cloudy. I fell, face first, onto the ground. The next thing I remember is Calypso looking at me. No, glaring at me. Hermes was still there, in the background. I picked myself up, said, "Sorry." and sat back down. I could feel anger radiating off Calypso. I was sure she'd kill me later, if Hermes didn't do it now.

"Yes, eventually they found her body. It was next to Kronos'—well, Luke's," Hermes explained.

I froze. "Did he kill her?"

"No, shockingly not. There was one line in the prophecy that we all figure explains their deaths. The whole prophecy was this:

_A half-blood of the eldest gods_

_shall reach sixteen against all odds_

_And see the world in endless sleep,_

_The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap_

_A single choice shall end his days_

_Olympus to preserve or raze._"

"Well, Nico was a son of Hades, one of the eldest gods; the Big Three. He did turn sixteen…" I began.

Hermes continued, "Morpheus, the God of Dreams, put all the mortals on Manhattan to sleep for days during the battles. And you know that Olympus was preserved."

"But what about the hero and the cursed-blade-soul-reaping stuff? And the choice that ended his days? And whose days were they?" I asked, persistent.

Hermes rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, Nico talked to Annabeth's ghost and she explained it. The hero mentioned was Luke, and the blade was Annabeth's knife. You see, it was a gift from Luke to her. Anyway, Annabeth gave Luke the knife and he stabbed himself in his Achilles spot—he bathed in the Styx too—and destroyed Kronos."

"But how did Annabeth die?" I interrupted.

"I was _getting_ to that!" Hermes shouted. "The knife blade shattered when Luke stabbed himself. Annabeth was hit by a piece of the blade that broke off. So the cursed blade reaped Luke's soul, and the choice to give Luke the knife killed Annabeth. The prophecy explains it all!"

"WHAT!?" I exploded. "Annabeth died by _accident!?_ This is crazy! UGH!" I slammed my fist on the table. I didn't know what was wrong with me. My rant went on, "This is ridiculous! Annabeth _can't_ be dead! She _shouldn't_ be dead! NO!" I planted my face on the table, hard.

Calypso slapped the back of my head. "Pull it together!" she hissed in my ear.

"No!" I shouted, jumping to my feet. I towered over Calypso. "You don't even care if Annabeth is dead! All you care about is getting out of this stupid place! You don't even care about _me!_"

Calypso gasped as if I had punched her. "That isn't true," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

I opened my mouth, but Calypso shook her head angrily. She stood up. "I _did_ care about you. But I'm not so sure anymore, Percy Jackson." She stomped away up the beach.

"Smooth," Hermes commented.

I moaned, "I'm so stupid!"

"Couldn't agree more," Hermes muttered. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Jackson! You obviously love Annabeth. And it's seems you love her more than Calypso, even though you chose to stay here."

"I made a mistake! After I chose to stay, I've been falling more and more for Annabeth. And now she's dead!" I groaned.

"Well, stop moaning and do something about it!" Hermes cried. "Come on, Jackson! Man up!"

That snapped me out of it real quick. I narrowed my eyes. "Well, what am I supposed to do about it? I'm stuck on this dang island!"

Hermes got a shrewd look in his eye. Now I was worried. He raised his eyebrows. "I can get you out. I'm a god! We cursed this place, but we can get past it. I can get you past it too!"

"Can you really?" My spirits lifted, then fell. "What about Calypso?"

Hermes shrugged. "Tell her. I think she'll understand. You agreed to stay, and you did. She has reason to like you better than anyone else in the world. Trust me, it'll work."

I hesitated. I didn't want to pull myself into anything crazy. Finally, I said, "Deal."

_**x x x**_

I pulled the door closed behind me. And ran into someone. I stumbled backward, leaning on my cabin door for support. I raised my eyebrows in shock. "Percy?" I looked around in confusion. Nothing seemed out of place. "Did I die?"

"Hey, Nico," Percy laughed. "I thought you'd feel your own death if you can feel others!"

"B-but… you're supposed to be dead! What are you doing here?"

"Okay, I didn't die. I was really at Calypso's island. I decided to stay with her."

"Then why are you here? I thought that island was cursed!"

"It is! But Hermes helped me off. And now I'm here. I have to talk to Annabeth's ghost, so I need your help."

"I guess Hermes told you what happened, huh?"

Percy nodded. "Will you help me?"

I hesitated. Then I sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Meet me at the edge of the forest, and don't let anyone see you!" Percy nodded and ran off. I shook my head. _I'm gonna be in so much trouble…_ I went back into my cabin and grabbed a six pack of Coke out from under my bed. I hurried back outside and to the forest, feeling like a fugitive.

Percy was standing right where I asked him to be. Shocking. I led the way into the trees. I held up the soda. "We've got an offering. Now we need a pit."

_**x x x x x x x x x x**_

**So there it is! The second chapter! Sorry it's been a while. Anyway there's going to be one more chapter after this one. I just have to figure out how to word the ending. Reviews are loved!**

**-Ivy**


	3. Chapter 3

**Goodness, it's been forever! So sorry about that. Here's the last chapter, hope it's good enough for you guys. R&R! -Ivy**

_**x x x x x x x x x x**_

Chapter 3

Nico said, "We have the offering." He held up a six-pack of Coke. "Now all we need is a pit."

I nodded. "Where do we find one?"

Nico stared at me. Our eyes were at the same level. It suddenly occurred to me that he was older then me now, since I had stopped aging while on Ogygia. He said, "We dig one, duh!"

I looked away, feeling kind of stupid. Okay, very stupid. "Oh, right."

It took a while, but finally we had a pit that Nico said was good enough. Nico started humming. Then he poured all the Coke into the pit. Then he started chanting in Ancient Greek. I had no idea what he was saying, but apparently the spirits did, because glowing blue shapes began gathering around the pit.

Nico drew his sword (Stygian iron, very powerful). The spirits backed off. "I summon the spirit of Annabeth Chase," Nico declared. "Let her come forth!"

A new blue shape appeared and floated toward us. Nico sheathed his sword as the spirit approached the pit. I couldn't make out Annabeth's shape until she had drunk from the offering pit.

"Nico." She smiled. She still looked beautiful, even though she was a glowing blue spirit. "You look great."

Nico grinned. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself. How's death treating you?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Eh, it's fine. I suppose it's better where I am than for some others."

Nico nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm sure."

I cleared my throat quietly.

Nico started. "Oh, Annabeth, I brought someone who wants to talk to you." He nodded to me.

I stepped forward. "Hey, Annabeth."

Annabeth's eyes widened. She gasped, then whispered, "No… I don't believe it… it can't be… Percy Jackson?"

Nico muttered in my ear, "I'm gonna go… I'll be back." He walked away, leaving me alone with Annabeth.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's really me."

"But I thought—but you—the hippocampus—" she stuttered.

"Yeah, I know, you thought I was dead. But I'm not."

"But the hippocampus—"

I interrupted, "I told the hippocampus to tell you—well, the camp—that I was dead."

"You lied? But why?"

I told her everything from when I was blasted out of Mount St. Helens, to when I asked Nico for help. I finished, "And now here I am." The only thing I left out was the reason I left Ogygia.

"But why?" she repeated. "Why did you come back?"

I took a deep breath; this was going to be difficult. "Annabeth, you've always been a really good friend to me. After Mount St. Helens, I thought, maybe…" I was referring to the kiss we shared in the volcano before Annabeth ran off to fight the monsters. I was sure she remembered. I continued, "But then I met Calypso. Once I decided to stay—I mean, like, _right_ after I said I'd stay—I realized I'd made a mistake. It was an impulsive deicision—you know what it's like—and it was a wrong decision."

Annabeth stared at me. After a while, she said, "What do you mean, it was a wrong decision?"

"I missed everything I'd left behind: camp, my family, my friends… you." I held my breath. Her response would determine everything.

"Percy, I…" She paused, swallowing hard.

What she said next made me jump back at least three feet.

"How could you!?" she exploded suddenly. "How could you leave me like that? I thought we were friends. I thought you cared about me, about us. But apparently not! I can't believe you would do that, Perseus Jackson! You're horrible and mean and, and…" She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I hate you! I—" She broke off, trembling.

Frozen in shock, I waited, somehow instinctively knowing Annabeth wasn't done.

She turned away and murmured in a defeated voice, "I love you."

My jaw dropped. Then I unfroze and recovered my self. I shook my head. "Wait, wait, what?"

She whirled on me. "I said I love you!" she shouted.

"B—But… You said you hated me!"

She nodded once. "I did. But I also love you."

"Uh…" I felt kind of stupid (again). I knew I should say something, but I couldn't make my brain tell my mouth to move. Then I whispered, "I love you, too, Annabeth."

Moments later, Nico appeared. I had a feeling he had been eavesdropping. His next words confirmed my suspicion. "Well, now that that's all settled, what's next?"

I felt my cheeks reddening. Nico had heard everything.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "You were listening!"

Nico shrugged. "More or less. Less at the beginning, more when the shouting started." He grinned.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She turned to me. "Well, he's right, what's next?"

I hesitated. I knew what I wanted, but I wasn't sure the others would agree with my idea. So I explained.

Annabeth's eyes widened at the end. "You'd do that… for me?"

"Dude," Nico said, shaking his head. "You're insane!"

I nodded, replying to both of them. "Please, Nico?"

Nico sighed. "Oh, okay. It'll be easier to get you in if I do it, anyway." He drew his sword again, and began chanting in Ancient Greek…

_x x x_

We were sitting on a picnic blanket in the Underworld. There really are some lovely picnic spots down here.

I looked at Annabeth. "So… I guess we have one of those 'and then they died, the end' stories, huh?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. But we still got our happily ever after, even if it's in the Underworld." Annabeth smiled.

I smiled back. "Yes, we did," I agreed. "You're not my _what if_ anymore."


End file.
